We arrived in St. Lucia around 6:30PM last night. St. Lucia is part of the Windward Island chain, a subgroup of the West Indies. The island is 238 square miles and a mere 21 miles from its closest neighbor, Martinique, and roughly 1300 miles southeast of Florida.
St. Lucia is most well known for its natural harbours and its central location within North America. The French and the British fought endlessly for possession of this island, changing ownership 14 times! Given the tug of war between both powers, one historian calls St. Lucia the “Helen of the West Indies,” comparing the island to Helen of Troy, whose beauty mobilized an entire navy. Since 1979 it has been under British rule, but the French influence is still very apparent. 
There are approximately 170,000 natives to the island. Most of the population (60,000) is located in Castries, which is the capital of St. Lucia. We aren’t staying in Castries, but plan to visit the famous Castries Central Market before we leave. We are loving the tropical weather - the climate ranges between the mid seventies and mid eighties, year round….not bad coming from Chicago! While it can get very hot here, the trade winds provide a nice breeze, which is extremely important as our first hotel, Ladera (www.ladera.com), does not have air conditioning! We’ve been dreaming of staying at Ladera since we read about it in Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure. For many years it has been awarded and voted as the best hotel in the Caribbean! We now know why. It is more than a place to rest your head, it is an experience. Located in Soufriere, St. Lucia’s first capital, the land was once one of the oldest plantations on the island. In the late 1960s an architect saw the potential to celebrate nature and location and built a small cluster of condominiums. In 1982, under private ownership, the condominiums were converted into what the resort is today. Their goal was to incorporate the natural beauty and bounty of the island. This commitment remains true today, with yearly maintenance to protect the exposed Caribbean timbers, stone and tile work used in each guestroom.
Ladera is home to the towering peaks of the Pitons, which rise above the water to heights of over half a mile. The resort is open aired, perched atop a forested ridge 1100 feet above the Caribbean Sea. There are only 32 rooms – 26 suites and 6 villas. It is secluded and highly personalized. We absolutely love it! Each room is designed with only three walls, which allows for unobstructed views of the Piton Mountains, with is part of St. Lucia’s UNESCO World heritage site. We are literally in the middle of the rainforest, so we were woken up today by a soundtrack of frogs and birds! Ladera prides itself with bringing together nature and an authentic St Lucian experience. Environmentalism is important to the owners, who go out of their way to conserve energy, use local and sustainable foods, and maintain the beauty of the island. I have to say, it’s pretty amazing. I love that there is no walls between us and the green, lush mountains . . . don’t worry we have a mosquito net! We also don’t have to leave our room – each room has its own private pool and a swing the sits over the pool to take in the view. It is unlike anywhere we’ve ever stayed. 
We are taking it easy today, enjoying the pool and some good Caribbean tunes. We also took a tour of the botanical gardens and the fish and lily ponds located on site. Absolutely beautiful! Natural lily pads and ponds are located throughout the resort. Tonight we are taking a water taxi to Anse la Raye, which is another city on the island. Every Friday they have a big street party, which they call the “hang out.” The streets are lined with food, music, lots of rum, and dancing! The festival features lobster and a variety of barbequed, fried, and cooked en papillote seafood. We’ve been told to try the “braff” or mahi-mahi, which is the authentic dish of St. Lucia. We have a small list of must do’s, which include visiting Anse Chastanet Beach tomorrow, the “Soufriere Experience on Sunday (stay tuned)”, and heading towards Marigot Bay Resort for the second part of our trip.
Till tomorrow!
Jenn & Jenn
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